Over the River and Through the Woods (Adventures!AU Book 2)

Ch. 9 ~In Over Your Head~

Tis I. The literal Shadow because I'm here one second and gone the next.
Thank you all SO much for the support as I literally poof for weeks, I really appreciate it!

This chapter was going to be longer, but I really needed to post something after that rather cruel cliffhanger so here you go! :D

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I knew this mission would be shitty!

Pain lanced through his body, briefly cutting through his panic, as the current slammed him against a boulder.

Don't scream. Don't cry out. His helmet protected him from the worst of it, but water seeped in nevertheless. He hadn't made it off that watery hellhole just for water to get him in the end.

Crosshair blindly grasped for a handhold. A rock, a branch, something. His fingers snagged something and hot pain tore through his shoulder as it was nearly jerked out of socket when the current tried to snatch him from his salvation.

Sickening dread churred in Crosshair's stomach as his fingers already began to slip, numbed by the cold even through the gloves. Was the river literally alive and trying to kill him?

Gasping for air while he could keep his head about the raging rapids, he could barely hear his squad yelling for him from upstream.

Above those, a yell sounded closer.

"Hang on, Cross!"

Shadow? No, not her! If she pulled him out he'd never hear the end of it!

Trying to raise his head to spot the guide, his eyes widened. Running across the rocks with hardly a pause, as sure footed as any soldier, she rapidly closed the distance between him and her.

But as he watched her race towards him, his attention slipped and the current tore him away from safety.

"Shit!" he heard Shadow yell before the water forced him under again and dumped him into a deep pool. The current waned, but he couldn't feel the stream bed beneath his feet and struggled to fight his way back up to the surface.

A dull crash.

An explosion of bubbles.

A blurry figure, distorted by the swirling water.

A strong grip on his arm.

A violent tug.

The diver forcing themselves down to push him up.

His head breaking the surface.

A hard shove towards a wide flat bolder.

No. No! Not Shadow!

Damn it!

Splashing erupted next to him before Shadow hauled him up onto the rock. Her hands gripped his helmet and yanked it off.

"Crosshair! C'mon, Cross! Be ok! I ain't given' you mouth to mouth, breathe damn it!" she yelled, dragging him upright and twisting him around so he faced down.

He weakly shoved her away. "I'm fine!" he hissed, voice hoarse as he staggered to his feet.

"The hell you are! You could have drowned!"

The concern in her voice cut deep, anger soon following.

Furiously wiping water from his eyes as Shadow got to her feet as well, he glared down at the woman who was also soaking wet. Her soaked clothes clung to her and water streamed from her flattened fur as she minutely shivered from the cold.